Barking Up The Wrong Tree
by Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
Summary: Alan got creative when he came up with his plan to make his girl his, truly and forever. Of course creativity isn't always a good thing. Rated T to be safe. COMPLETE


**_I do not claim any ownership over the characters in this story, except the rescuers._**

* * *

The klaxon sounded, drawing the residents of Tracy Island to Jeff's office as it converted to Command Central. Alan was one of the first, quickly followed by Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Tin-Tin to make it to the office. Standing in military formation, the members of International Rescue were briefed on the nature of the rescue. John's screen lit up and his face came on over the link, headset firmly in place as he listened to the radio which the call came through on.

"We've got a ravine rescue guys and gal. A couple of extreme cliff divers misjudged a landing and are hung up by their flight suits." John said as he typed furiously the coordinates to the location of the rescue into the computer systems of Thunderbirds 1 and 2. "They tried to unhook their flight suits from the cliff's edge but only succeeded in ripping their flight suits. It'd kill them should they fall from where they're hung up."

"So what's the strategy?" Gordon asked as he looked meaningfully at Alan.

"Since Alan is the best with abseiling, he'll have to go down to the victims and get them trussed up before the winch pulls them up the cliff side. " Scott said, confident in his little brother's skill when it came to abseiling.

"Are there any injuries I should be made aware of?" Alan asked as he smiled at Tin-Tin. He knew she hated the abseiling rescues, mainly because of her fear of falling from great heights – but he knew it was him she was worried about. She always feared her boyfriend may get hurt, and that maybe she'd watched too many cliffhanger videos to get the idea in her head that the hook or rope would give in and Alan could potentially plummet to his death.

"None since the call came in. The crew was filming an extreme cliff diving video and when they got hung up - search and rescue was called. Unfortunately due to location, search and rescue isn't much help. They're gear isn't much help as the cliff the divers are snagged on is too low for search and rescue to reach and the ravine is too narrow for a helicopter to enter. You are their only hope Al." John said as the debriefing finished.

"Scott, you and Alan take Thunderbird 1 and get there to assess the situation. As soon as Thunderbird 2 gets there, I want you to initiate rescue protocol." Jeff said as his four earthbound sons got beside their portraits. "Thunderbirds are Go!"

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Alan sat in the co-pilot seat beside Scott in the cockpit of Thunderbird 1. They flew through the air at top speed to reach the location that John pre-programmed into Scott's system.

"So, are you nervous?" Scott asked as he piloted the great craft.

"About the rescue?" Alan asked, he had an inkling that Scott knew something but it was lost on Alan. "No."

Scott shut off the radio, making sure that Thunderbird 2 and Command Central couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"You know what I'm referring to Al. I know you bought a ring for her." Scott said as he cast a meaningful glance at his little brother. "I know I said you could use my card for anything, but imagine my surprise when I go to pay my credit card bill only to discover a purchase was made through Jared's."

"I promise I'll pay you for that." Alan said as it occurred to him he'd forgotten to pay the bill for Scott so his brother wouldn't discover the purchase made on his card.

"Don't worry about it Al…just consider it a wedding gift from me." Scott said with a chuckle. "So, when are you gonna ask the lucky girl?"

"I had planned on doing it over dinner this evening; it is the five year anniversary that we began dating tonight." Alan replied with a blush.

"You lucky dog." Scott said as he clapped a hand over Alan's back.

"I haven't even proposed yet, don't be congratulating me before she tells me to take a hike or not." Alan responded, his blush deepening to a lovely fire engine red.

"How close are you to the danger zone?" John's voice came in over the speakers.

Scott unmuted he and Alan and went to answer his little brother. "ETA is about 5 minutes." Scott replied as he began to speed up just slightly. "What about Thunderbird 2? How close are they?"

"We're five minutes behind you." Virgil replied. Making Scott nod in understanding.

"Okay, well when we get there I'll have Alan assess the situation and determine the best route for the rescue." Scott said as he spotted the location on his map where the rescue would be taking place. Finding a spot to land, far enough from the cliff to not be in danger of toppling down, but close enough to maintain mobile control.

"Good enough for me. See you on the flip side." Virgil said, his thoughts echoed by Gordon and Tin-Tin also.

"So, what do you say? Want to land this baby and see about rescuing some people?" Alan asked with a grin as he began putting on his helmet, fastening the buckle to hold it on beneath his chin.

"Let's do it." Scott said as he brought Thunderbird 1 down to land. Once the craft had landed and Alan and Scott scuttled off to set up everything for the rescue.

Once everything was set up for the rescue, all that awaited them was the arrival of Virgil, Gordon and Tin-Tin to assist both Scott and Alan with the rescue. Alan approached the cliff side to assess the situation. He and a search and rescue agent both knelt down by the cliff's edge to yell down to the victims that were literally clinging like Velcro to the rock face several hundred feet down the ravine.

"Don't worry, my comrades and I will get you out!" Alan yelled to the couple that clung to the rock face.

"Got it! Just please hurry!"

Alan stood up and turned to call to one of his brothers to bring his abseiling gear while he worked on a hook to secure him for the rescue. He'd only just gotten the hook hammered into the ground when he grabbed his gear from Gordon who'd brought it to him.

"Hey, be safe. Okay?" Gordon whispered to his little brother as he helped secure the fasteners to Alan's harness. "I've got some of the rope run up around one of the support struts of TB2 so at least we know the rope is secure."

"Thanks G." Alan said before tightening the rope and backing slowly over the edge. He'd only just started to go down when he noticed movement above him. Glancing up, he saw Tin-Tin lying on her stomach extending a head lamp out to Alan.

"I don't want you to get down where it's too dark that you can't see." Tin-Tin gestured with her finger for Alan to come back up slightly. When he was within arm's reach, Tin-Tin fastened the head lamp to Alan's helmet. "Please be safe for me…I'm expecting a rain check on our dinner tonight."

Alan nodded before rising up slightly to kiss Tin-Tin tenderly on the lips.

"I'll try to be safe for you my love." Alan said before continuing to inch his way down the cliff side. As he rappelled down, all Alan could think about beside the rescue was what if Tin-Tin said no to his proposal. She'd been dropping hints that she wanted to move their relationship along and while Alan was all for it…he still didn't feel ready to settle down. Sure he and Tin-Tin had been together since they'd been sixteen, but Alan certainly wasn't ready to have kids at the moment. He knew that was one thing Tin-Tin wanted more than anything.

"Sprout! Focus!" Alan heard through his ear piece. Shaking the fog from his mind, Alan focused once more on the rescue at hand. He had only a couple more meters to go before he'd reached the first victim. Alan fed some more line through the figure eight descender. When he'd reached the cliff where the first victim was hung up, Alan slipped a bit of rope he'd fashioned into a lasso of sorts over the person's torso, securing it beneath their armpits. Using his knife, Alan cut away the snagged material and hauled the victim over the edge to the narrow lip with him.

"There you go." Alan said as he huffed a breath. It didn't matter what his brothers said about him being the best chosen person to abseil in the family…it still wore him out and he didn't know if he'd have the strength to get to the second victim. But he knew he had to try. "Okay, I'm going to hook you up in this spare harness and my comrades are going to pull you up. I on the other hand am going to try to get to your partner below us." Alan said before giving his brothers the signal to begin pulling the other person up the cliff face.

Turning slowly, Alan began to ease over the edge of the cliff to get to the other victim. When he'd reached her, he'd been forced to make her wrap her legs around his waist and hold onto him as his brothers pulled him up to the cliff's edge where he'd left the second spare harness. When they'd gotten up to the lip, Alan and the other victim sprawled out dramatically to catch their breath. That was a tough climb back up, especially for Alan. His abs were burning.

Once Alan got the lady secured in the spare harness, Alan stayed back a little bit to make sure she'd make it back up okay. Once she had almost reached the top, Alan began climbing. He'd told the lady to use his rope. She'd refused at first, but then Alan secured his little lasso to her harness so that he'd be pulled along gradually as well as her. He'd still climb though, as that seemed more fun to Alan than going up the cliff side slowly.

"Here I go." Alan muttered before beginning to climb like he'd been taught. As he'd climbed, his thoughts turned back to the proposal to Tin-Tin. He had given it some serious thought and finally to just take the plunge and ask Tin-Tin to marry him. He could talk to her, see if she'd be willing to give them a minimum of a year as husband and wife before they began planning their family and trying for a baby.

Alan continued climbing as he thought and pondered over everything. Alan reached up to grab a rock to hold onto from the rock face and just about had a heart attack when the rock broke away from the wall. Swinging away from the wall, Alan grappled onto anything he could find. Pressing his face into the rocks, Alan heaved a sigh. He was trembling and it wasn't just from fear. He was exhausted.

"Sprout, is everything alright?" Scott's voice came in over Alan's ear piece.

"Everything's fine boss." Alan replied, his voice quavering as he tried to slow his breathing.

Pausing to catch his breath, Alan flexed his fingers slowly around the rocks he held before feeling sure enough to continue climbing up. So focused was he on climbing, he failed to notice something that was crucial to his survival. As he reached up to a small outcropping, his sleeve shifted just enough. Grasping the outcropping, Alan began to pull himself up when he felt a sharp stab in his forearm. Wincing, Alan bit back a groan but continued climbing. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he reached up to grasp another hold, which he found his fingers weren't working. He clung to the cliff face and panted. It hurt to breath.

"Sprout, you alright down there?" Virgil leaned over the edge and called the three meters down to his little brother who hadn't moved an inch in several minutes. He watched his brother shake his head like he was dizzy or disoriented before looking back up at him. "Can you hear me Sprout?"

"I…fell…funny." Alan slurred, unaware that his speech was affected as were his hands. Shaking his head again, he tried to ignore the nauseating swirls his eyes were showing him.

"Sprout? Are you okay?" Virgil barely heard his brother's slurred statement and was growing concerned by how much Alan was shaking his head as if he was trying to clear his vision. "Are you okay to climb up?"

Alan didn't respond. He just shook his head again and that was the final straw for Virgil. Drawing Scott and Gordon to him, Virgil informed his brothers of his suspicions that Alan might be dehydrated and they needed to pull him up. If he was out of it enough to be unable to speak, then he was dangerously close to possible shock or worse – heat stroke. The three brothers grabbed the rope that Alan was hooked to and began to pull, feeling Alan join them as he was towed along. Tin-Tin having become curious about the older Tracy boys and what they were doing had peered over the edge of the cliff and panicked when she saw the way Alan was hanging.

"A?!" Tin-Tin yelled, knowing she couldn't refer to Alan by his name, thus calling him the code name Alan asked Tin-Tin to call him rather than Sprout or Shep…short for Shepherd.

At Tin-Tin's alarmed yell, Virgil called a halt to pulling Alan up and leaned over the edge to get a look at Alan. His little brother from his vantage point didn't look too good. He was visibly pale and just all around unwell. Virgil called down to Alan and felt his concern spike when Alan failed to respond. Scrambling back up, Virgil and his brother began pulling Alan back up. A couple of search and rescue personnel joined in the efforts when they realized how frantic the International Rescue agents had become. Once Alan was close, Tin-Tin reached over the edge and grabbed Alan under the arms and pulled back with all her strength.

She may look small but she was strong. Laying Alan out on the ground, Tin-Tin loosened the fasteners of Alan's helmet when she heard his labored breathing. She quickly began loosening Alan's jumpsuit and hurdled back with a scream when a scorpion crawled out of Alan's jumpsuit. Gordon, who was close by, used his boot to swipe the scorpion off his little brother's chest and he stomped on the creature. He heard a crunch as he'd broken its exoskeleton and felt satisfied that he'd killed the little bugger.

"A?!" Tin-Tin asked as she scrambled forward and hovered over Alan. She didn't like the sounds of his breathing.

"What's going on?" Virgil asked as he brought his medical kit over to assess Alan.

"I think he got stung by a scorpion." Gordon said as he knelt by Alan, removing Alan's flight suit to his waist. Lifting his tank top, Gordon found the confirmation he hadn't wanted to see. Multiple little welts about the size of a dime mottled Alan's chest, inspecting his arms Gordon found several more welts. "Make that several times that he was stung by the scorpion."

Virgil and Scott shared a look as they looked around to make sure they weren't kneeling in a scorpions nest.

"Did you see the scorpion?"

Gordon, Tin-Tin, Scott and Virgil looked up at one of the search and rescue agents who was standing there with a stretcher.

"I knocked one off him when it crawled out of his suit." Gordon said as he replaced Alan's t-shirt over his chest. He took care not to touch the welts and he leaned down to listen to Alan's breathing. "I killed it too."

"Where is it?" The rescue worker asked.

"Over there." Gordon pointed to where he'd killed it and the rescue worker went over to inspect it. He'd returned quickly and made a show of removing an IV port and began working on Alan. "What's up?"

"Your comrade was stung by an Arizona Bark Scorpion. Those can be lethal depending on how much venom was injected." The rescue worker said as he inserted the IV port into Alan's hand. "We've got to get him to the hospital to get the anti-venom."

Another search and rescue worker came over and held up the IV solution bag so it could get a good drip going. Virgil, Scott and Gordon assisted the search and rescue workers with loading Alan onto the stretcher before Virgil motioned for the search and rescue team to let him take over with the care of Alan. They backed off, but it wasn't without argument. One of the workers insisted on going with in Thunderbird 2.

"You're judgment is clouded. He's your comrade. I don't know him so I'll be the best to make a call when it comes to whether he lives or dies because of the scorpion stings. You need someone who is not close to him to be there to make that call if necessary."

"Whatever, we're running out of time. Let's go." Gordon spoke up as he and Virgil ran alongside a few of the search and rescue men and women. Running up the ramp, Virgil cleared a spot for Alan to be placed. Tin-Tin came up beside the stretcher, clasping Alan's other hand in hers. She frowned deeply at the fact that her Alan was injured on such an easy mission.

Virgil made sure the stretcher was secure before he took off at a run, ordering Gordon and Tin-Tin to keep him updated on how Alan was doing. Gordon sat at the head of the stretcher, watching Alan's stuttering breathing. He reached up and gently carded his fingers through Alan's hair while Tin-Tin dropped to her knees beside the stretcher. One of the two rescuers that came with to keep an eye on Alan pulled out a stethoscope to listen to Alan's heart rate and breathing.

"Get me the sphygmomanometer Earl." One of the rescuers murmured. Gordon cocked his head at the unusual name of the device the rescuer was requesting.

"What is that?" Gordon asked.

"What is what?" Earl looked up from the medical equipment bag he was digging through to stare at Gordon.

"That sphynxometer thing whose a whatsit." Gordon tried and failed to properly pronounce the item in question.

"A sphygmomanometer?" The rescuer that requested said item asked as he held Alan's wrist in his nimble hands. "Most people recognize it as a blood pressure cuff."

"Oh." Gordon said as Earl produced the item from the medical bag before he passed it to the other rescuer. "Here you go Riley."

Riley, the other rescuer took the blood pressure cuff, fitting it around Alan's upper arm. Placing his stethoscope in the crook of Alan's elbow, beneath the edge of the cuff. Grabbing the bulb of the blood pressure cuff, Riley began pumping up the cuff. Alan gave no indication that he could feel the pressure created by the cuff, continuing to lay perfectly still. Riley blinked slowly as he listened to Alan's pulse before he let the air out of the cuff, removing his ear pieces of his stethoscope.

"His blood pressure is 150/90…he's showing stage one hypertension." Riley commented before he hung his stethoscope around his neck. "While listening to his heart, I noticed his heartbeat is irregular and his breathing is rapid now whereas earlier it was labored. I fear the venom is starting to react."

"So what can we do? I mean, we're nowhere near a doctor. And we don't have the anti-venom." Gordon asked, knowing Tin-Tin couldn't ask.

"We'll just need to keep an eye on him in the meantime. Watch out for any other symptoms that may crop up." Riley said as he pulled up the hem of Alan's tank top. "Do you have any ice?"

"Not ice, but we have icepacks." Gordon said. He made to stand up, but quickly found his seat when he felt Thunderbird Two lurch forward as she took to the skies. Once they were airborne, Gordon retrieved the icepacks from the mini freezer. Handing the ice packs to Riley and Earl, Gordon watched as the two of them lowered the hem of Alan's tank top once more before fitting the icepacks into his flight suit. Once they were situated, almost immediately Alan came round and began moaning. "What's wrong with him?"

Alan curled as best he could on his side, hands held tightly to his stomach.

"Abdominal cramps…one side effect of scorpion stings." Earl spoke, he rubbed Alan's back when the young man gave another moan. "Sorry kid, it's no fun being stung by a scorpion…believe me I know."

"Should we be expecting any other side effects?" Tin-Tin asked softly as she watched her boyfriend curl tighter into himself when another cramp hit.

"Speaking from personal experience, you can expect convulsions, seizures, muscle stiffness and spasms, urinary incontinence, double vision, drooling, thick feeling tongue, spasm of the larynx, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat." Earl said. "I've been stung about five different times by scorpions…not as epic as they make it out to be on television…let me tell you."

"Hurts…" Alan whimpered while in the midst of another abdominal cramp

"I know it does honey…we're trying to get you to the hospital as quick as we can. Just hang on." Tin-Tin whispered in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. Alan's head jerked to the side suddenly, before settling back on the pillow.

"What was that?" Gordon asked when Alan's head gave another jerk. "Is he having a seizure?"

"No, just random muscles firing." Riley said before Alan's head tilted back. Riley began massaging Alan's throat when it became apparent that he had no control over his tongue or throat muscles. Standing up, Riley grabbed a towel from the shelf behind Earl and placed it under Alan's head. "Alan, can you hear me?"

Alan gave a tiny nod indicating that he could hear Riley.

"Okay, I've placed a towel beneath your head. If you notice yourself drooling, don't worry about it. It's a side effect of the scorpion sting." Alan nodded slightly again that he understood. He curled slightly into a ball with a low moan when another cramp hit.

"V…can you hear me?" Gordon asked as he went to the intercom button. Virgil answered tightly.

"How's he doing?" Virgil asked, not giving Gordon a chance to gather his thoughts.

"He's hanging on, but the abdominal cramps he's got going on right now sound brutal." Gordon said even as Alan only curled tighter. "Any chance of pushing your bird a little faster?"

"She's going as fast as she can G…we're still an hour out from the hospital that has the anti-venom." Virgil replied. "Try to keep him as comfortable as possible."

"FAB V." Gordon murmured.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Thirty minutes later left Gordon comforting Tin-Tin while Riley and Earl focused on Alan. It was the first seizure throughout this whole event and it scared everyone.

"Are there gowns kept on this craft?" Earl asked as he shone a light in Alan's eyes to test reactivity.

"No, why?" Gordon asked even as he smelled something acidic.

"Because I'm afraid during that seizure, your comrade lost control of his bladder." Riley answered for Earl. The two rescuers focused on keeping Alan in the recovery position. Alan whimpered slightly, making Tin-Tin jump to his side.

"I'm here babe, you're going to be just fine." Tin-Tin whispered before pressing a kiss on Alan's temple. Alan shuddered slightly as more of his muscles cramped up. Despite his muscles feeling stiff and the additional swollen tongue, Alan managed to whisper to Tin-Tin where his civilian clothes were for them to change him into. He didn't want to be left in his soiled clothing like a baby waiting for a diaper change, nor be left to smell himself. He tried making eye contact with Tin-Tin, but his eyes became lazy and began swinging around the room. She got the message though and told Gordon to go retrieve some clothes for Alan.

When they got Alan out of his soiled clothing, (which proved a difficult venture when combined with the stiffening muscles), they meaning Tin-Tin who all but kicked everyone out of the room so she could clean Alan before redressing him. Alan was lain flat on the stretcher, his head moving from side to side intermittently and against Alan's control. Virgil's voice came on over the intercom.

"Okay guys and gal, we're ten minutes out from the hospital and they've been enlightened to the situation and have the antiserum ready for use." Virgil spoke quickly and assuredly. "Now when we land, I'm opening the pod bay doors and the on staff emergency personnel are going to enter to retrieve A. They know he is an agent for International Rescue and that privacy is of the utmost importance for our safety. G & Tiny, you'll go with to make sure A's identity is kept secret."

Earl and Riley weren't told exactly what they'd be doing, but they assumed they'd go to help keep an eye on the injured agent. They had medical knowledge to transfer to the doctor that'd be treating the agent and it also wasn't in their nature to simply sit on their hands and do nothing.

Gordon fastened his seatbelt when he heard the thrusters of Thunderbird 2 begin to whine, soon being joined by Alan who immediately began convulsing once more. Gordon and Tin-Tin both held his hand or brushed their fingers through his hair until Alan's convulsions calmed. Tin-Tin raised her visor slightly in order to kiss Alan's forehead when he opened his a fraction and began breathing heavy.

"Don f-feel goo…" Alan slurred as his head tilted to the side again.

"What hurts Sprout?" Gordon asked, wanting to call Alan by name, but refraining.

"S-S…" Alan couldn't make his mouth form words so he gestured to the best of his ability towards his stomach.

"You're belly hurts?" Gordon asked as he caught on. He saw Alan's Adam apple bob before he spoke. "Tiny, get a pail…I think he's gonna spew."

Tin-Tin did as Gordon said in the nick of time. Alan began dry heaving and Riley rolled Alan on his side when it became apparent he was indeed trying to vomit. Gordon leaned over Alan holding the pail beneath Alan's head in preparation for what was to come.

"It's okay Sprout…oh god." Gordon grunted when Alan threw up. Tin-Tin was there with a damp rag to wipe Alan's mouth when he finished. Gordon set the pail off to the side to be cleaned later when the pod bay doors opened. Medical professionals came in and quickly took over. One of them took a look at Alan and began barking out orders. In no time at all Alan was swept away and wheeled through emergency room doors. Tin-Tin and Gordon ran alongside while Riley and Earl rattled off Alan's symptoms. Nurses tried to push Gordon and Tin-Tin from the exam room, but Virgil soon entered and ordered they be left alone – that under strict orders another IR agent was to be in the room to ensure the injured agent's identity was not compromised by well-meaning medical personnel. Alan's clothes were cut off and his stings assessed. Urine and blood samples were collected, tests run and anti-serum administered when it was proven that an Arizona Bark scorpion was the culprit for Alan's failing health.

Virgil moved Thunderbird two to a secure location at a nearby military base and came back to keep watch over Alan with Gordon and Tin-Tin. Alan was moved from the emergency bay to a private room, IV's coiling around him – some with a strange colored liquid that seemed almost cloudy. Alan's hair was washed of the sweat when he'd begun running a fever from the extreme changes his body was experiencing. He was placed in a gown and laid down to rest while the antiserum worked against the toxic effect of the scorpion's venom.

Virgil looked at Alan, the dark circles beneath his eyes combined with the sickly white skin that was common in sick people. An oxygen cannula was run up beneath Alan's nose to assist with breathing when Alan's lungs had gone into distress at the time the antiserum was started. A pulse oximeter was clipped onto Alan's fingertip, monitoring his blood oxygen level. Glancing to his left, Virgil saw Gordon and Tin-Tin – they'd tried to stay up through the night after the rescue but fell asleep on the couch in the corner of the room. Virgil stayed up however, keeping guard over Alan and his stats. He swore that if anything should happen, he wanted to be Alan's first line of defense.

Checking his watch, Virgil groaned at the time. Four AM. Alan had been out for almost twelve hours…he'd had two more seizures after they'd gotten to the hospital and the doctors kept reassuring Virgil, Gordon and Tin-Tin that Alan was sleeping deeply to recover from the trauma caused by the many scorpion stings. That and seizures according to the doctor affected people in different ways. Typically they expended a lot on energy and after a seizures of any size people may be inclined to sleep. Due to the nature of Alan's seizures and the number of them it was understandable that Alan would be sleeping like the dead.

Virgil shook his head. Alan wasn't dead and he wouldn't die. He'd get better, they'd gotten the antiserum to him to combat the effects of the venom rather than leave him to fight it off on his own. Virgil doubted Alan would have lived if they hadn't rushed him to the hospital immediately following the stinging incident. Virgil however was calling a team meeting to see about them getting new suits to prevent something like this from happening again. Scott had hung back to check the cliff side a little more in-depth and had discovered that the shelf where Alan had stopped to cinch up the rescued had a scorpions nest buried in the wall. He'd found a nest that had around fifty if not more scorpions. Virgil looked up information on the Arizona bark scorpion only to discover they lived in packs rather than lead solitary lives with the exception of taking a mate and bearing young.

A groan from the bed brought Virgil's attention to their affected member and he moved closer to Alan when his eyes opened to look at him in the dim light.

"Hey Al, how're you doing?" Virgil whispered.

"I'm…where am I?" Alan looked around in confusion at the white room.

"You're in the hospital kiddo. Do you remember what happened?" Virgil whispered as he helped Alan sit up when the younger squirmed around on the bed.

"No, I don't…can I have some water please?" Alan asked, voice rough from sleep and disuse.

"Sure kiddo." Virgil said softly before he grabbed a cup and filled it with the iced water from the pitcher by Alan's bedside. He held the cup for Alan as he drained it of every last drop. "Better?"

"Much…thanks." Alan whispered as he became aware of Gordon and Tin-Tin asleep on the couch. He watched them for a few moments before he started tugging on his blankets, trying to get them off.

"What's up Al?" Virgil asked.

"I got to go." Alan said softly yet frantically.

"The doctor warned you may be too weak to stand Al…here." Virgil grabbed a hand held urinal for Alan's use. Alan glanced over in Tin-Tin and Gordon's direction with a blush before Virgil pulled the privacy curtain. "Just go, I won't look."

Alan looked at Virgil, ashamed before he grasped the handle of the urinal. Virgil looked away as Alan slowly slid the urinal beneath his blanket and went about taking care of business. When he finished he told Virgil who took the container from him. Virgil glanced at it and made a note to tell Alan's doctor that Alan's output was low, which was another symptom after being stung by an Arizona bark scorpion. He took the container to the bathroom, emptying it and rinsing it out. When he returned, he found Alan had fallen asleep. He pulled back the curtain and settled beside Alan's bedside once more. He leaned his head on his fist, and felt the pull of sleep claim him.

When he woke up again, Alan was awake again…only this time he was joined by Gordon and Tin-Tin who were sitting up in chairs on either side of Alan. Virgil smiled at seeing Tin-Tin curled up in her chair. He knew she wanted to be in Alan's arms, but had to stay professional while they were still in uniform.

"Hey Gordo, do you have my uniform?" Alan asked softly.

"No, it's waiting to be washed." Gordon replied. At Alan's questioning look, Gordon reminded Alan of his seizure and accident he'd had before they reached the hospital. Alan blushed and looked away in shame. "Don't be embarrassed kid, accidents happen."

"But it shouldn't have happened." Alan argued.

"It's actually a common side effect of seizures Alan…the body can't function properly during a seizure and unfortunately one of the side effects is the loss of bladder control – be glad it was that and nothing worse."" Virgil rattled off telling everyone else he was now awake. "Don't ask."

"I wasn't, don't worry." Alan murmured. "There was just something I wanted from my suit pocket."

"Tin-Tin, could you be a doll and go get me a coffee please? I need to speak with Alan for a moment." Virgil asked, seeing Tin-Tin nod. She knew when she wasn't wanted in the room.

Tin-Tin stood and kissed Alan on the lips before she pulled back. She smiled at Alan before she left. Gordon left with her, figuring that Virgil wanted to talk to Alan about bodily functions that Gordon wasn't interested in hearing about. Once it was just the two of them, Virgil pulled something out of his own pocket.

"Is this what you were wanting Sprout?" Virgil asked as he pulled a ring box from his pocket.

"How'd you know?!" Alan asked as he made grabby hands for the ring box. Virgil handed it to him and smiled when Alan sighed thankfully that the ring was safe with him once more.

"Scott told me while we were flying to the hospital. He mentioned you might want the ring." Virgil said. "I didn't know if you'd told Tin-Tin anything about wanting to propose to her so that's why I asked her to leave. I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag."

"Thanks Virge…you don't know how much this means to me." Alan said as he double checked the ring box for its treasured cargo.

"So, are you gonna pop the question?" Virgil asked.

"Yeah, I can't afford not to. After yesterday's incident, I had a lot of time to think about it and life is too short. I could have died yesterday and I want Tin-Tin to know how much I love her, what she means to me." Alan said, unaware that Tin-Tin was right outside the door.

"Do you really mean that Alan?" Tin-Tin asked softly.

Alan looked over and smiled at his love. Holding a hand out to her, he beckoned her to come forward. She walked over to Alan, handing Virgil his cup of coffee in the process. Alan pulled Tin-Tin down to sit on the bed with him.

"Tin-Tin, like I'm sure you heard me just say…life is much too short and yesterday's incident hardened my resolve. I could have died yesterday and if it wasn't for the Thunderbirds I'm sure I would have…ssh." Alan placed a finger against Tin-Tin's lips when it looked like she was going to argue. "I know I shouldn't be borrowing trouble, but I seriously could have died yesterday and I don't want to die without making sure you know how much I love you, how much you mean to me, how meaningless my life would be without you."

Alan looked down in his lap before meeting Tin-Tin's gaze.

"I've known for a while that I wanted to marry you, but I couldn't build up the courage to do it. I finally bought a ring, borrowed one of your other rings to have it sized to fit." Alan looked at the box that sat on his knee. "Tin-Tin Belegant, my love…when we first started dating I thought you were dating me simply so I'd leave you alone…but then I realized how much I enjoyed your company and how you seemed to enjoy mine. Each time I saw you after that realization, I felt how hard my heart was racing each time you smiled at me. Anytime you called my name it made my chest feel tight and I realized that you simply took my breath away. It dawned on me a year ago that I'd fallen in love with you and I'd fallen hard. All the time we spent together meant so much to me and I never wanted it to end."

Virgil and Gordon stood by silently to remain removed from the situation and intimate scene unfolding before them. They continued listening to Alan and his proposal.

"If someone told me three years ago that I'd have fallen in love with the woman of my dreams…and that woman I'd known since childhood – I might have laughed their face. When we were children, I could remember my grandma telling me that boys that liked girls pulled on their pigtails and picked on them…but she never told me what it meant when a girl picked on a boy in the same manner." Alan said with a wink. Tin-Tin used to pick on Alan relentlessly when they were children and they often argued, to the point of tears and running to their dad's to tattle on the other. "When it occurred to me that I'd fallen in love with you, I began imagining my life with you…what our wedding would be like, what our children would look like – should we decide to have any later in life, our lives as old farts living in a retirement home."

Tin-Tin's eyes began to water and Alan brushed away the tears that fell.

"I'd planned on asking you over dinner last night, but we saw what happened. So I'm asking you now…Tin-Tin Belegant, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, mother of my children, partner in crime, life and love – will you marry me?"

Tin-Tin stifled a cry with a hand to her mouth as she nodded. Gordon and Virgil watched – they'd later say neither of them was crying at the proposal but they couldn't hide it at the moment that it was probably one of the most moving scenes they'd ever seen. Tin-Tin nodded again before she let Alan put the engagement ring on her finger. She was shaking as she looked at the ring on her finger – finally throwing her arms around Alan's neck as she kissed him tenderly.

"So is that a yes?" Alan asked once Tin-Tin let him breathe.

"That is a big yes Alan…" Tin-Tin said softly before she looked at the ring adorning her finger. "I can't believe it…"

"Believe it babe, I'm not letting you go…not now, not ever…not in this life time and hopefully in no other life than this. I love you and I'm never letting you go." Alan said before he kissed Tin-Tin once more. Virgil and Gordon applauded them, Gordon whistling. "I love you."

"And I love you." Tin-Tin whispered before she kissed Alan once more. "A thousand times, yes…I love you and I always will. I love you."

* * *

 ** _A/N - I've never had an encounter with a scorpion unless you count those creepy rubber prank scorpions. I hope any of you reading this enjoy it and I hope you'll forgive the sappy ending. I was listening to some pretty sappy music and had to incorporate it._**


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